Double the Stakes
by mrwriter1701
Summary: Tempus. HighlanderAngelLas Vegas universe sorta. AU with no main characters from show. Just the world. The Tempus team goes to Las Vegas, where vampires are attacking and Brittney Spears is playing...


Disclaimer: I and my writing accociates own the Tempus characters, but not the world. That belongs to the owners of Angel and Highlander. The Las Vegas cast are the property of Universal./NBC

Double the stakes

A Tempus/Las Vegas Crossover story

1.

As Jim Corrigan stepped through the back door to the Tempus house and office, holding a bag behind his back, he made eye contact with Murph, who was standing by the sink.

Murph nodded, indicating that the coast was clear. Jim quickly stepped up to the counter and put the bag down.

"Did she suspect anything?"

"No. At least I don't think so. She is out front, typing a letter for Andrew."

Jim nodded and began emptying the items in the bag. He put them all on a tray.

"Did Herbert get a hold of the…?"

"Yes. He hid it in the basement. But she is very good at sniffing things like that out, Jim. We considered hiding it in Father Christopher's desk, but…"

"No, basement is fine, as long as she didn't find it. Ask Herbert to go get it, and meet me out front in 3 minutes."

Murph nodded and left the kitchen. Jim could hear sounds from Andrew's office, and he stuck his head in to call him out. Andrew nodded, closed his laptop and got up from behind his desk. Jim balanced the tray in one hand, while looking down to the stairs in the other end of the corridor.

Herbert and Murph came up from the basement, Herbert holding a small package in his hand. They were joined in the corridor by Christopher, as he stepped out from the small room he used as an in-house office when he was working with the Tempus agency.

The men looked at each other in silence. Then Christopher looked at his watch.

"It is time. Two minutes from now. 13.46 exactly."

The men walked down the corridor, Herbert in the lead. He opened the door to Jim's office, and they all walked in, positioning themselves around the room so they had the best view of the door. Then, Jim pressed the intercom.

"Mercedes…come in here, please."

There was the sound of a chair being pushed back in the front office. The sound of footsteps, and the door opened. Mercedes stepped in with a puzzled look on his face.

"What's wrong, Jim?"

And from behind her came a loud POP!

She turned around to see Herbert holding a bottle of champagne, now overflowing onto 6 glasses.

She turned her head, just in time to hear Murph, Jim, Christopher and Andrew holler:

"SURPRISE!"

Mercedes threw her hands to her cheeks and shrieked in delight.

Then, they all came forward to embrace her.

"Happy 21, lass!" Murph said, giving her a bear hug that smelled of pipe smoke and aftershave.

"Congratulations, Mercedes!" Andrew said, giving her a short, slightly awkward hug and stroking her back for a moment.

"Congratulations, my child. God's blessings", Father Christopher said, keeping to form, but Mercedes felt the warmth in his hug, nonetheless.

"Happy 21st honey." Jim gave her a long, fatherly hug that almost brought a tear in Mercedes' eyes, thinking of her own, now gone father. She hugged him back, holding on for a moment longer.

"Happy birthday, Mercedes", Herbert said as the last, holding her close and cupping the back of her head with his hand. She felt lost in his arms for a moment, as she felt his heartbeat so close to hers. She drew a deep breath and smelled his scent…but then, he stepped back and smiled at her, a little shyly.

"We thought you should have a surprise on the exact time you were born", Christopher said, looking at his watch. "We made it to the minute."

"Have a drink!", Andrew said, holding out one of the glasses of champagne that Herbert had just poured. "It is the first one you can have legally, so – enjoy it!"

Jim picked up the bottle, as Herbert gave out glasses to the rest of the team.

"Ahh…1954. That was a very good year. I remember it well…."

"This is not the time for memories, Jim", Andrew said and gave him an elbow in the ribs, "it's about Mercedes!"

"You're right. Herbert, do you have the…?"

Herbert nodded, and pulled the little package out of the pocket of his blazer.

"This…is for you…from all of us" he said, blushing a little and held it out to her.

Mercedes grabbed the package and unwrapped it gently. In it was a necklace. A heart of what looked like diamond hung beneath a symbol that looked like the figure 8 lying down. Mercedes recognized it as the symbol for "unending".

She looked up from the necklace and smiled, her eyes filling with tears. "Thank you…oh, you guys…thank you so much!"

She slipped on the necklace at once, feeling the little heart settle between her breasts. It shimmered in the sunlight coming in through the large windows in the office.

"The stone is a rather special jewel", Jim said, pointing to the heart, "We found it through a friend of Herbert's – his name's Fazil. He runs that little magic shop downtown called "Bekam". He claimed this stone is an old Egyptian artifact. Supposedly, it was known as the "eye of Isis"."

"Does it do something special?"

"He wouldn't tell me!" Herbert said, "he just kept claiming it was perfect for you. So now it's yours."

Mercedes sipped her champagne, and Christopher held up his glass.

"If I may, I think we should propose a toast…to Mercedes, twenty-one and herself a precious jewel."

"Hear, hear" they all said, and clinked glasses over Jim's desk.

"And…we have another surprise for you", Herbert said.

"One I am not entirely in agreement with, but…" Christopher said.

"Oh, Come on, Vaughn!", Jim said, "you can't hold on to the whole "Sin City" idea."

"What do you mean about Sin City?" Mercedes said, "that movie was months ago…"

"Not the movie, baby!" Andrew said, putting an arm around her, "We thought it would be a fitting way to celebrate that you're twenty-one to take you gambling. So pack your bags – we're going to Las Vegas!"

The shriek from Mercedes was almost loud enough to split all their eardrums.

2

"We have a problem."

Danny McCoy looked at Mike Cannon, as he just stepped into the surveillance room in the Montecito hotel.

"What?" Danny asked. He had just completed a very challenging check in of a high-roller from Boston, and had planned on having a cup of coffee while watching the screens.

Mike pointed to one of the screens, which showed a group of about 10 assorted men and women walking down one of the hotel corridors.

"This is the Oblevek party. Just checked in. Sam informed me of them this morning. They're supposedly whales from Eastern Europe…Romania or Hungary. But all of the new special alarms are going off. These guys are definitely supes."

"Supes?"

"Super naturals, Danny. Street slang. You need to keep your street slang up to speed."

"Whatever. So, did you run video IQ on them?"

"Already did. They're clean. Which, of course means absolutely zip. If they are super naturals, they can have a thousand ways of altering their appearance. Fleshcraft, illusions, glammor, you name it."

"Any way of narrowing it down? Can you determine what kind they are?"

"Off the top of my head, I'd say vampires. But they could also just be blood mages. They have a definite reading on the bad-boy scale."

"We'd better tell Ed."

"He already knows. I forwarded my findings to him before you showed up."

Danny looked up at Ed Deline's office, but Ed was bent over his computer, obviously studying the same data they were.

"Did you tell Sam that her clients could be potentially dangerous?"

"No. Do you think I should? Would YOU want to know if you were setting up gaming tables for a couple of blood suckers?"

"Good point. She might let something slip, and they'd know that we are onto them. For now, I want you to keep them in the scopes at all times. And post a guard outside their suite."

"You got it, bro."

Mike pressed a couple of buttons on his keyboard, and then nodded to Danny.

"The moment these guys become a problem, let me know. OK?"

Mike nodded again. "Will do."

Sam Marquez was walking at a quick pace through the casino floor, talking on her cell phone when Mary Connell walked up and fell into pace.

"…and I need to set up a private baccarat table in the closed off section. They are really secluded, but my sources says they plan to spread a lot of money around." She paused, listening to the voice on the other end. "Look, I don't care. Then move the Senator to table 2. Just make it happen!" She closed her cell phone, and smiled at Mary, who easily kept pace with the much smaller girl.

"Stressed out?", Mary asked.

"Not yet, but I will be, if these guys don't spread the dough they promise. How about you?"

"You mean, am I ready for the hundreds of underage kids that will be crowding the Montecito in a few days, trying to get a glimpse of Brittney? No, I think I can handle it. We set up extra security, and limiting the floor to 2 entrances."

"So when is the star herself checking in?"

"This afternoon. Total hush-hush, we're going to bring her in through the loading dock. Ed said he would meet her there himself."

Sam grinned. "I'm sure Ed's a fan."

Mary grinned back. "You coming to Mystique when you're off?"

Sam shook her head. "I'm not off. Not while these guys are here. Do you have any idea of how hard they are to please? We already had to move them to a suite on the west side, because they didn't like the view to the east."

Suddenly, Sam stopped, and nodded towards the check-in counter.

"Now, look at that…."

Mary followed her gaze.

"There's something you don't see every day."

"Full name?" the girl at the check-in counter asked, looking up from her computer screen.

"Father Christopher Vaughn", Christopher answered, and took a deep breath.

"Oh, wait…here we are. You had been filed under "father", sorry. Your room is 1194, right next to Mr. Schmidt."

The rest of the team, who had already checked in, lifted up in their bags and smiled relieved. Christopher got his roomkey, and lifted his suitcase.

"Shall we?"

They all walked towards the elevators, crossing onto the casino floor as they did so. Mercedes, who for obvious reasons had never set foot in a casino before, looked around with eyes the size of teacups. The sound level was almost deafening, coming both from the ringing of the slot machines, the electronic voice that proclaimed "WINNER" and the hoots and hollers of all the casino's patrons at the tables. Mercedes saw a man dressed as a cowboy, complete with a ten-gallon hat kiss a pair of dice, before throwing them down on the craps table, shouting "Yee-haw!", and shook her head disbelievingly. Some of these people was absolutely nuts.

Finding the elevators, the 6 friends found their way to their floor, and their rooms. As this was a birthday trip, Jim had used the company credit card to book a room for everyone, so they could enjoy a bit of privacy. It also meant no one had to bunk up with Murph.

As they had all unpacked, they met in Mercedes' room, discussing what to do first.

"I think, that a trip up and down the strip would probably be fun", Andrew said, "it would give us all an idea about what lies where."

Herbert nodded. "That's a great idea. Except that we don't have a car."

"Oh, that's no problem", Jim said, picking up a folder lying by the room telephone, "the hotel offers limousine service. We just call this number, and we'll be picked up in front of the main entrance."

Mercedes made little happy jumps. "Ooooh, this is so exiting! I always wanted to ride in a limousine!"

Jim lifted the phone. "Well, then let's order one!"

Ed Deline, the president of Operations, came out on the balcony overlooking the surveillance room.

"Danny, what the hell is this? First, Mike tells me that Sam checked in a bunch of vampire whales in a high-roller suite, and now the alarms are going off all across the board? What have you got?"

Danny looked up from the screen. "I have no idea, Ed. The scanners must be calibrated wrong, because I'm getting massive readings from several super naturals."

"Let's see them."

Danny punched a key and pictures of Jim, Christopher, Herbert, Andrew, Mercedes and Murph filled the main screen.

"Now, these guys checked in on one credit card – this guy's." He pointed to Jim. "But they all register as different kinds of super naturals. I mean, what are the odds of a whole group of them checking in together…?"

"Wait a minute…back it up…" Ed said, pointing to the screen, "what have you got on this guy?"

"Nothing really. I haven't run Video IQ on him yet. I thought it was a glitch. I sent Mike down to…"

"That's no glitch. I know this guy. If anything could make the alarms go haywire, it's him. How about the others?"

Danny pointed to Herbert's face. "This guy looks like a mage. But that's the only positive ID I can make. The rest of them are some kind of…I don't know…hybrids or something." He pointed to Christopher "And this guy's not even on the scales!"

Ed rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I want you to assign them a casino host. Let Sam handle it."

"I think she has her hands full, Ed."

"I know she does. But I'm sure she can handle both of these clients. If nothing else, the vampires should be sleeping during the day, am I right?"

Danny looked slightly perplexed.

"I…I guess so. But she really looked like she was riding herself hard."

"All right. Do you think Mary would be up to taking on a hosting job for a day or two?"

"She's got Brittney Spears coming in tomorrow, but I guess…"

"Good." Ed pointed to a screen that showed the Tempus team leaving the hotel room. "Get her on her cell, and tell her to meet them at the entrance. Treat them like VIP's."

"All right. Should I have her tell you it's on orders from you?"

"No" Ed shook his head. "I'd prefer to keep my name out of this for the time being. Maybe later."

Danny opened his cell phone and pushed the speed dial for Mary.

As the Tempus team made their way across the floor towards the main entrance, a tall brunette in a low cut dress walked up to them, smiling.

"Hello…Mr. Corrigan?"

"That's me" Jim said, looking at the woman to see if he knew her.

"I'm Mary Connell, I work for the Montecito. We'd like to welcome you all to the hotel, and let you know that I'm assigned as your casino host."

"What's a casino host?" Mercedes asked, and Mary turned to her, smiling.

"I make sure that your stay here is as pleasant is possible. Hi, I'm Mary." She shook Mercedes' hand, and got a blinding smile in return.

Mary quickly shook hands with the rest of the group. "Now, as your host, if there is anything you require, that will make your stay a more pleasant one, don't hesitate to ask. Dinner in special restaurants, tickets to a show, limo service…"

"Well, we just ordered a limo from the number on the room slip" Andrew said, pointing to the entrance, "in fact, I think it's waiting for us."

"Really? But Mr. Picardt, there is really no need for that. I'll have one of the hotel's limousines take you wherever you wish to go. They are far more comfortable than your every day limo."

"That would be great!" Herbert said.

"Well, let me just arrange that, then." Mary opened her cell phone and called a number, walking two steps away. After a few moments she closed the phone again and walked back to them.

"It's all settled. The limo is awaiting you out front. Any shows you care to see? A private gaming table? A line of credit?"

"Well…" Jim began, before Mercedes interrupted him.

"Do you have tickets to Celine Dion?"

Mary smiled. "Of course we do, sweetie. I must say, you look like a Vegas virgin. Are you?"

"Yes, I am."

"Then, consider it a deal. Front row tickets to Celine. I'll have them dropped off in your room box. How many do you think you will need?"

"At least two!" Jim said, making Herbert burst out into laughter.

After finally settling on getting them all except Murph tickets, they walked out of the entrance. Mary handed them each a business card.

"And don't hesitate to call me, if there's anything you need."

The Montecito Limousine was rather unique, since it was a humvee limo. Inside it, everything looked like it was out of a art deco movie from the forties, lit by neon.

At a leisurely pace, it drove down the strip, which shimmered in the sunlight. The casinos on both sides looked like enormous castles, some of them already had their lights on, although it was mid day.

Herbert grinned.

"This is great! Do they do this to everybody?"

"Not the last time I was here", Andrew said.

"Are you a more frequent guest in Vegas than you let us know, Jim?" Christopher asked, and sipped a bottle of water from the limo's bar.

"Not exactly", Jim answered, "Things have changed around here. Last I was here, there were dunes there." He pointed.

Andrew laughed. "It HAS been a while, then, Jim. The Dunes was torn down in 1993."

"No, I mean, actual dunes. I remember it well…it was just after Bugsy Siegel had built the Flamingo…"

"Oh, come on Jim", Murph said, shaking his head, "I know for a fact that you were here last year. I found those chips when I cleaned out the closet in the TV room."

Jim blushed, as he always did when he was caught in one of his fake memories.

"But then, if you're not a frequent guest, and they don't do this to everybody…why would they give us a free limo and offer to all these nice things for us?" Mercedes said.

"I suggest that we all keep our eyes open", Christopher said, "It could all be a part of some elaborate ruse."

"I doubt our old friend the Dealer would buy us tickets to Celine" Herbert said.

"No, he sounds more like the type for the Blue Man Group" Murph said, finishing his whisky.

3

Kat Horton walked into the Montecito carrying a small weekend bag. She had gotten Mercedes' message late last night, and had then quickly called her superior and taken a couple of days off. She would not miss her young friends' coming of age celebration, and decided to surprise her by showing up and take her out for a girls night on the town.

She walked over to the check-in counter and leaned forward over the counter.

"Hi, I'm here to join the party of the Tempus detective agency."

The girl punched in a few things on her computer.

"We have no one registered under that name, ma'am."

"All right, then try Mercedes Perez, or Jim Corrigan."

"Yes, we have both those registered. Are they expecting you?"

"Not really. I came on a whim and didn't have the time to tell them."

"Do you have a reservation yourself?"

Kat smacked her forehead. In the rush of getting a flight, she had forgotten to book a room."

"No, I don't. Is there any way you can get me in touch with them?"

"Well, ma'am, I can call their room, and see if they will come down and greet you. What name may I give them?"

"Kat Horton."

The girl lifted the phone, and pressed a few buttons. After a few seconds she hung up again.

"There is no answer from the room, Miss Horton. I'm sorry."

Kat blew air out between her teeth. This was the last time she was ever going to do something spontaneously, she decided.

"Is there a problem?" a voice next to her spoke up. She turned her head and saw a young, tall and dark haired man in a suit without tie looking at her with a smile. He was a very attractive man, and she found herself smiling back at him.

"I don't know…I flew in to surprise my friends and now I can't get in touch with them."

He stuck out his hand, and she shook it.

"I'm Danny McCoy, Montecito surveillance and security. Maybe, if you came with me, we could straighten things out, Miss Horton?"

Kat looked puzzled. "How do you know my name?

"We have rather extraordinary surveillance equipment in this casino. Please…come with me. I'll explain everything."

He gestured towards a door marked "employees only". Kat lifted up her bag and followed him.

As they walked through the door and into a more private corridor, he turned to face her.

"It's not every day we get a visit from Interpol, who is also a supernatural. And to tell you the truth, we had our share of super naturals today. So my boss would like to have a word with you."

"I assure you, that I am not…" Kat begun, her breath catching in her throat. How the hell could these people know…?

"It's all right, Miss Horton…or do you prefer Agent Horton? The Montecito caters to all kinds of people. It's just that, well…normally the clients with a super natural edge to them are further between. And most of the time we can identify them. Both the people arriving with Mr. Corrigan and you are playing havoc with our sensors. We'd just like to talk to you, that's all."

"All right…I suppose talking is not going to hurt either of us. And yes, Agent Horton is fine. But you can call me Kat."

Danny nodded. "Then, I suppose you can call me Danny. Here we are."

He led her through a room full of computers and monitors, up a few steps and into an office with wood walls and dimmed lighting.

An older man got up from behind his desk and looked at her with a pair of intense eyes.

"I'm Ed Deline, President of Operations of the Montecito hotel. Sit down, please."

"I'm Kat Horton, Special Agent of Interpol."

"Yes, we know" Ed said with a dry voice. "Take a seat, Agent Horton, and let us talk for a while."

Danny took a step back, hovering around the entrance to the office.

"As Danny have most likely already told you, we can monitor whoever comes and goes on our grounds with our monitors", Ed began, gesturing to the screens in the control room. "Recently, we had a system installed that could track people with super natural powers. Telepaths, shape shifters, telekinetics, wizards, you name it. But once in a while people show up on our sensors that are harder to place. Like you."

Kat leaned back in her chair, keeping her gaze on Ed.

"Now, I'm not a man who likes surprises. In fact, if you asked any of my staff, they would tell you I downright loathe them. So I'd like for you to tell me…" he leaned forward over the desk, "what kind of super natural works for Interpol?"

Kat cleared her throat. "You probably wouldn't know what it meant if I told you."

"You'd be surprised."

"I'm a Fae of the Selie court, of the family of Oberon and Titania."

Ed's eyes brightened.

"Oh, a fairy!"

Kat was surprised.

"You really know about us?"

"I know enough to treat you with respect. But aside from that, I never figured that Interpol would employ you if you had any intention of creating havoc in my casino."

"I would never think do anything of the sort, Mr. Deline."

"And you understand, of course, that any use of…shall we say unfair advantages…would not be tolerated?"

"Naturally."

"Good, then we understand each other. I take it that you were meant to join the party of Jim Corrigan?"

"That's right. We're old business associates, you might say."

"I see. Well, Danny here will make sure you meet up with them. As I understand it, right now they are in the hotel limo, making a tour of the city?"

Danny nodded.  
"Then, take Agent Horton here down to meet them when they come back. It was nice to meet you, agent. I hope you have a pleasant stay."

"Well, technically, I'm not staying here yet, Mr. Deline. I…forgot to book a room."

"I'm sure Danny can help you in that regard. Just one thing…I ask you to please refrain from any shape shifting while on hotel property. All right?"

"Deal. Good day."

Kat walked after Danny out of the office, and watched as he picked up his cell phone.

"Jenny, this is Danny. I'm going to need a room booking on 12th floor, in the vicinity of room 1254." He paused. "Yes…yes I know. Just do it. You can put the fee up as a comp. This is straight from Ed Deline. Okay, Jenny. See you."

He closed the phone and looked at Kat.

"You should now have a room across the hall from your friends."

"Thanks you, Danny. I appreciate it."

"Don't mention it. But if you really want to thank me, maybe you'd meet me for a drink later on? In our club, Mystique, maybe?"

Kat smiled.

"I'd like that. But most of all I'm here to take my friend Mercedes out for a good time. I need to check with her before I make any…definite plans."

Danny grinned. "I understand. Well, here's my number for the cell phone. Give me a call when you find out. What kind of things did you plan on taking your friend to see?"

"I don't know…to tell you the truth, this is my first visit to Las Vegas. I mostly work Europe and the north states."

"A Vegas virgin, eh? The first time is always special."

"Vegas Virgin?" she laughed. "Yes, I guess I could be called that."

"Then, I guess it's up to me to help you loose your innocence along with your friend. Ever heard of "the thunder from down under"?"

"No, can't say I have."

"Trust me on this. I'll make arrangements to have two tickets sent to your room. But just two – this is nothing for your male friends!"

Kat smiled, as they walked back into the reception area. "Thanks, Danny. I'll definitely take you up on that drink!"

He grinned again, and pointed to his phone. "It's on 24/7. Call me."

4

As he got out of the limousine, Andrew saw Kat standing by the entrance to the hotel. His face brightened, and he ran up to her, embracing her. During the time of Kat's recovery, they had grown very close, and Andrew had thought a great deal about the fascinating young Fae since they had parted.

"Kat!" he exclaimed.

Murph, who was right behind him, also lifted his had in greeting, but took a little longer to cross the space between the car and the door.

"Aahh…good to see you, Kat…it's been so long."

"It has, Murph. I'm glad to see you're doing well."

"Yes, well…I got these new diapers for the nights, and…"

Andrew put an elbow in Murph's ribs.

"Shut up about the diapers, Murph. How have you been, Kat?"

"Good. Great, in fact. I should talk to you guys, but…"

In the next moment, Kat was almost tackled off her feet, as Mercedes grabbed her in an embrace.

"KAT! Ohmygod, I'm soooo glad to see you!"

"Hey, Mercedes…" Kat managed tog get out, as Mercedes squeezed her midsection. The girl was strong for her frail looks.

Jim and Herbert, who had emptied their drinks before climbing out of the limo, now joined them. As Mercedes was hugging without sign of letting go, they settled for a wave. Christopher was the last to leave the car, and he closed the door and waved the driver on. He had only met Kat Horton briefly, and hung back respectfully, so that the friends had a chance to reunite.

"So…you got my message?" Mercedes asked.

"Yes, I did. And you guys should know, by the way, that the casino is totally aware of your…special conditions."

Jim's face became serious. "How aware do you mean?"

"That these guys knows about mages, faes and vampires. They can see them on scanners or something. I was called up to see the president of operations, and he told me that they see everything on those eye-in-the-sky things."

"That's kinda disturbing", Andrew said, looking around.

"I wonder what they register Father Christopher as", Herbert mused.

"Probably not as anything out of the ordinary", Christopher said, walking up to the group, "I doubt that they have sensors that can tell the difference between a priest and a normal man."

"Don't be to sure. That Deline guy seemed to be pretty well informed."

"Deline?" Jim asked.

"Yes, Ed Deline. He is the president of the hotel."

"Ed Deline, huh…." Jim mumbled, but did not elaborate. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"But they seem so nice!" Mercedes said, "We're going to see Celine Dion, and we got the limo and all…that girl Mary was very sweet."

"I don't think they want to do anything. They probably just keep an eye out. I just thought you guys should know."

"Well, thanks for the tip!" Herbert said.

"Anyway, I have come to celebrate you, sweetie!" Kat said, stroking Mercedes' hair, "and I have gotten some tickets for something called "The thunder from down under".

"Sounds like an Australian metal band", Jim said. Andrew, who knew quite well what they were, had to cover his mouth with his hand not to give anything away.

"Well, the concert is not for several more hours. What should we do in the mean time?" Andrew asked and looked around on the sun-filled valet parking lot of the Montecito.

"We could go gamble for a while…I've been dying to see if I could win at craps by using a spell I've been…" Herbert began, but Kat lifted a hand.

"If you use any spells, Danny and his team will know. They made that quite clear, and I don't think we should test them. Besides, he was really cute and asked me out for a drink."

Andrew lifted an eyebrow. He had been under the impression that he and Kat had a "thing", as Mercedes put it. But if she was having drinks with a security guard….

"Fine, let's just gamble a bit, then" Herbert said, shrugging.

"I agree" Jim said. "Vaughn, how about you?"

"I think I will take a trip on the monorail. It should provide a good view of the new golf coarse out by the Wynn resort. Maybe I would even take a game there."

"Hey, I'll join you", Andrew said. "My dad taught me how to play golf."

The team then split up, Mercedes and Kat heading for the shopping arcade in the Forum shops in Caesar's palace, and Murph heading for the Excalibur to catch the fight between Merlin and the Dragon. They promised to meet up for dinner in the hotel restaurant later, before the concert.

Ed walked down the corridor, holding his cell phone to his ear and talking fast, while looking at his watch."

"Yes, I KNOW that she said 1500, but I am on my way now…no, I understand that it's hot and that she does not like to wait, but it's only going to be a few more minutes. Yes, goodbye. See you in a minute or so."

He closed the phone and stuck it in his pocket.

Sam, who came out of a side corridor, was almost swept off her feet as Ed rushed past her.

"Whoe, Ed. What's the rush?"

"Brittney Spears is arriving at the loading dock. She has been waiting for 5 minutes and is apparently succumbing to the Nevada heat. If I had known she was going to be this much trouble, I'd have told Mary not to book her."

"Oh, nonsense, Ed. You know I have whales coming in from miles around to see her. The girl might be annoying, but she creates revenue!"

"I know that. But I had hoped I could avoid the whole taking care of her-thing. But of course, she insists it be the president himself."

"You'll be fine. But I gotta run. I have a client who wants to rent the High Roller Rollercoaster at the Stratosphere for an hour, so I have to set it up."

Sam, who had kept pace with Ed, turned right and exited into the casino floor. Ed turned left, and reached the loading dock, where 5 people stood next to a black limousine. 4 men and a girl. Ed looked them over, his old instincts telling him that the 2 were bodyguards, the third probably the agent he had spoken with on the phone, but the fourth…He was a huge red-haired man, who looked extremely uncomfortable in the suit he was wearing. Most of all, he looked like he belonged in a basement with a computer and a box of doughnuts.

Ed reached out his hand to the girl, who was wearing huge sunglasses, a turquoise top and white pants, both in size extra –small.

"I'm Ed Deline, President of Operations. Welcome, Ms. Spears."

"You can call me Brittney", the girl said, her voice getting a smacking sound of the gum she had between her teeth. Ed smiled his polite smile. He hated gum.

"Why were we kept waiting out here in this horrible heat, Mr. Deline?" The fourth man asked, wiping his head with a handkerchief.

"Nobody kept you from stepping inside where it is cool, Mr…?"

"I'm Tory Ryan, Brittney's stage manager. And the purpose of using the ramp was to keep Brittney out of the people's eye."

"I know that. I also know that the corridor right back here is as private as they come, and I'm sure the risk of being spotted would have been the same if you stood one step inside it. Or, I assume that your car also comes equipped with air conditioning. If not, I should speak to the rental company."

Ryan looked at Ed furiously, but could hardly make an argument against him.

"Well, in any case, I will need to see the stage as soon as possible, Ed. It is of the utmost importance, and before I examine your facilities, I can't guarantee that Brittney will perform here. Is that clear?" Ryan put his large hand on Ed's shoulder.

Ed looked up into Ryan's red-patched face, and his eyes burned into Ryan's. His voice, however, remained pleasant, with a slight edge to it.

"First of all, nobody calls me Ed unless I have specifically told them to. Second, miss Spears WILL perform here, as she is under contract to do so with the Montecito Resort. Thirdly…if you don't take that hand off my shoulder, I'm going to squeeze so hard around your neck that the only items you can enjoy from our buffet are the ones you can suck up through a straw. Do _I_ make myself clear?"

Ryan cleared his throat.

"Su…Sure…"

Ed turned towards the rest of the group.

"Now, if you would follow me, I'll take you to the service elevator, and up to your suite."

Brittney nodded to her bodyguards, and the group fell in behind Ed, who sighed to himself as he headed back into the Montecito's cool insides.

This was going to be 2 long days.

5

Following the dinner in Mystique, Mercedes and Kat talked about the show "Thunder from down under" that Danny had left them tickets for tomorrow night. Murph, who had spent the afternoon at the Excalibur, claimed that none of the knights actually LOOKED like King Arthur's knights, and did not know how to handle a sword. Therefore, the show's slogan "what knights do at night" had left him puzzled. Andrew had considered explaining it to him, but did not bother. It would spoil the surprise for the girls.

The group had spent the afternoon in several pleasurable ways, and Christopher and Andrew had even booked a golfing time for next day. Jim, who had been playing craps with Herbert, had won more than 3000 dollars, and was smiling cheerfully while enjoying the prime rib – the only American dish on the menu. Apparently, the chef Günther had a special love for German and French food – something Jim claimed he got enough of during the world wars.

Herbert had also won, although he was still disappointed that he could not use his magic. The first time he had been tempted, he had looked up and noticed the little eye-in-the-sky camera over the table. One of many such cameras in the area. He had let the idea fly away again, and rolled the dice again.

Murph had looked away and only answered with one syllable words when they asked him about his day. When they pressed him, he told that he had gotten kicked out of the Excalibur hotel.

"Whatever did you do to get kicked out?" Christopher asked.

"I…helped Merlin a little bit in the fight against the dragon."

"What do you mean, helped?"

"He seemed to be outmatched. So I came to his assistance with my sword."

Jim sighed. "Murph, you know it was not a real dragon, right? Just like the Mirage doesn't have a real volcano!"

"I know…I just thought I could help." Murph took a mouthful of dumplings. "These are almost as good as my wife mad them!" he said with his mouth full.

Kat and Mercedes had been power shopping, and their rooms were now full of "special bargains". Mercedes was wearing one such thing now, a replica of the necklace from the movie "Titanic", bought especially for the Celine concert.

"When she sings that one about my heart will go on", I'm going to flash it and pretend that I'm Rose!" Mercedes said, her eyes shining. Kat smiled, and sipped her drink. She did not tell the group that it had been her idea to buy the necklace…and that she had another like it in her pocket.

"And speaking off Celine – we'd better get going. The concert starts in 45 minutes." Herbert finished his glass of beer and dried his mouth.

Kat waved goodbye to them – as she had not been able to get a ticket herself – and when they had left, she picked up her cell phone and pushed a number from the calling card she had in her pocket.

It rang twice. Then a voice answered:

"Danny McCoy."

"Hi Danny, this is Kat Horton."

"Hey!" Danny sounded very pleased that she had called.

"Listen – I'm sitting all alone here in Mystique…do you want to have that drink we talked about?"

"That sounds great. I'm on my way off shift. I'll join you in a minute."

"Great. See you then."

Danny closed the cell phone and looked at Mike.

"Gotta go, Mike. Got a date. You're all set for the night?"

"I think so. That hot little fairy going to take you for a ride on her magic carpet?"

"We'll see. How's the VIP's?"

"Ed put them in the suite up on the top floor. Apparently, that Ryan guy already called room service 5 times, ordering what sounded like food for 3, and a box of Crispy cream doughnuts. He also asked to have a broken toilet seat replaced, and asked Fred from housekeeping if he could get him some weed."

"What did Fred say?"

"I don't think Fred deals to the guests, Danny. Ed would have his ass on a silver platter if Brittney Spears was seen smoking pot in the Montecito!"

"How about Sam's vampires? The…Obleveks?"

"Yeah. They seem to be the peaceful types, at least so far. They played and then retired. The guard is on 4 hour shifts outside their suite."

"Good. Keep me posted, okay?"

"I thought you were off duty."

"I'm never THAT much off duty."

Mike grinned. "Sure. Now, go and enjoy yourself."

Tory Ryan stood on the balcony, and watched the night fall over Las Vegas. Of course, the Neon City was never dark – the lights glimmered in the Nevada darkness like a giant jewel crest. Down the Strip, the Eiffel tower was visible as a needle of light, and the music from the fountains at the Bellagio was faintly heard on the wind.

Ryan took another puff on his joint, and scratched his butt. He hated the waiting part of the job – his part was usually done in less than 3 hours, and the rest of time he was just hanging out in various hotel suites, waiting for the little hot number he worked for to do her thing. He really didn't care for her music, but the little hot package could really turn him on…unfortunately, he had nuch had much luck at getting her into bed.

Of course, this being Las Vegas, the so-called "city of sin", maybe he should go do something sinful. He had heard lots of stories about the cheap girls here…

"Maybe I can find someone to slob on my knob…" he mumbled, while puffing on the joint.

"Maybe I can be of assistance?" a silky voice behind him said.

Ryan turned, thinking for a moment that he was dreaming. The girl who stood on the balcony seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. She was wearing a long, red dress, and her dark hair waved around her head like a cloud. Her eyes were large and dark, her lips very red. He let his eyes take the elevator-scan up and down her body – full breasts, long legs and slender waist – and smiled what he hoped was a winning smile.

"Hey there!"

"Hello…I might be wrong, but you sounded like you were looking for…company?"

"Sure…do you work for the hotel?"

"No, I work…freelance, you might say. And for free."

Ryan looked at the joint between his fingers. He decided that it could not be a stoned fantasy. He never had them be that real before.

"Well, if you work for free…then I'm all yours!"

She smiled.

"I thought as much."

She took a step towards him, and put both arms around his neck. He let his hands caress her back, and grab her ass, but before he could fully enjoy the sensation, her head rested against his neck…and then, he felt a sharp pain in the throat.

He tried to push the girl away, but discovered to his horror that he was not able to move. And now, he felt teeth – actual teeth! – against the skin of his neck, not just biting, but _ripping_ – tearing his throat up. His hands began to spasm on her back, and he fell against the railing, trying to keep to his feet…he saw the girl lift her head and lick her lips, his blood staining her chin and teeth – and then, his center of gravity shifted, and he fell back over the railing, tumbling out into the darkness, turning over and over for what seems like forever...

The last thing he saw, before the darkness claimed him was the girl on the balcony above him, carefully licking her fingers clean of his blood.

The ringing cell phone in the darkness disturbed Kat in the half sleep she had been drifting into. Danny, who was lying in the bed next to her, rolled over and fumbled for it on the nightstand. Kat rolled over and spooned up to his back, as he answered the call. His naked back felt muscular against her breasts, and she let her lips trace the outline of his spine.

"Danny McCoy. WHAT? Was it suicide? Killed? When? No, no Ed, I'll be right there…Yes, very fast. Bye!"

He closed the phone, and rolled around to face Kat.

"I have to go. Brittney Spears' stage manager as just been killed. They don't know for sure, but Ed suspects that there might have been some vampire involvement. We have a group of vampires staying in the hotel, so they're prime suspects." He kissed her naked shoulder. "I'm sorry."

Kat smiled, and stroked his face. "Don't be. It was great while it lasted. Would you mind if I tagged along? I mean, it's not like you guys are unqualified, but…"

"But you figure we could use the help of another super natural? Sure. Come along."

"That was probably the best concert, I've ever been to!" Mercedes said ecstatically, as they walked out of the concert hall "Coliseum" where the show had played.

"It was amazing!" Jim agreed. His cheeks were still red from the blush he had gotten, when Celine Dion, after singing " the power of love" had given him a kiss on the cheek. Herbert, who had been holding Mercedes' hand at that point, had also been blushing…but he hid it better.

Andrew, who did not particularly care for Celine, had spent most of the night studying the effects of light and video in the show, trying to figure out what kind of equipment was used.

As they got out of the taxi in front of the Montecito, they could not help but notice the crowd of police to the left of the entrance. It only took them a moment to see Kat, standing to the side and apparently looking for traces near the wall.

She looked up when they approached her, and waved.

"Hey guys."

"What happened here?" Jim asked, looking around.

"Brittney Spears' stage manager was murdered by vampires. At least, that is the unofficial explanation. Officially, he fell or threw himself from the balcony. But look."

Kat pulled out her cell phone, and called up a picture she had taken with the small digital camera in it. It was obviously the neck marks of a vampire bite.

"Does this place know how to handle vampires?" Herbert asked.

"Apparently they have a group of them staying here, and Danny is going to question them. But they're kind of afraid of sending people into their suite. Danny is afraid that if they use some mesmerizing power, they can just…brainwash whoever talks to them into thinking they did not do it."

Danny, who had been standing with a group of police officers, now walked over to the team. His face was very serious.

"Is this your friend Jim Corrigan, Kat?"

"That's him."

Danny looked at Jim. "Mr. Corrigan, my boss would very much like to talk to you. He thinks you might be able to help us out a little bit. If you have the time, would you mind coming up to his office?"

"I'll see Ed Deline", Jim said, taking no notice of Danny's puzzled expression, "and you guys better come along. He might need more than my help."

He gestured to Danny.

"Lead the way."

Danny knocked on the glass door to Ed's office.

"Ed…I brought Mr. Corrigan to see you."

Ed got up from his desk as Jim walked in, followed by Andrew, Herbert, Christopher, Murph and Mercedes. Kat came last, and she took the chance to send Danny a naughty wink of her eyes when she walked past him. He smiled boyishly, and winked back.

"So, Jim…" Ed began.

"So, Ed…" Jim said at the same time.

They burst out laughing, and Ed walked around his desk to shake Jim's hand.

"It's been a while, Jim."

"That it sure has. When was the last time we met? 89?"

"In Damascus, yeah. I still remember how stupid you looked in a djellabah."

"Not as stupid as you looked, when you had your gun stolen in the market by that 12 year old girl!"

They looked at each other, and both grinned broadly.

"It's good to see you, even under these circumstances", Ed said, gesturing for them all to sit down on the leather couch in the corner.

"Yes, it really is. And I must admit, I didn't know you had taken up hotel management."

"Excuse me…" Danny spoke up, "so where do you guys know each other from?"

Jim turned his head and looked at him. "We really can't tell you. That's all totally classified."

Danny sighed, and hit his forehead. In the couch, Andrew made the exact same gesture.

"I should introduce you, Ed, to the team", Jim said, "we're all ready to help you, of course."

He gestured towards his friends in the couch. "Herbert Schmidt is a pretty kick-ass mage, Andrew Picardt is…"

Ed held his hands up. "Don't bother…we already checked all of you guys out when you stepped foot on the casino floor the first time. We like to be informed."

"So, what do you need from us?" Andrew asked.

"Well, tomorrow, Brittney Spears is giving a concert here in the Montecito. Her stage manager is dead, possibly murdered, and from what I understand from my investigations, there's cause to suspect a vampire killed him. If I remember correctly, you are immune to vampire mind tricks, Jim?"

"That's right."

"Then what I want to ask you to do is to interview the Obleveks – the vampires in the hotel. Mr. Picardt, I understand you have a way with technology – I'd like you to work with Mike on the video IQ system, see if you can find any trace of the killer. "

Andrew nodded, and looked out through the glass walls of Ed's office, at the big video screens in the control room.

"Miss Perez, I want you to work with Sam, the casino host that have been handling the Obleveks. Nobody will suspect a girl working with a casino host, and you might get closer to them than the rest of us. Agent Horton, you'll be working with Danny and see what kind of investigative leads you can find. And Mr. Schmidt – does your magic have any way of detecting what actually happened on that balcony?"

"I…maybe. I'd have to look into it."

"Then that is what I would ask you to do. Of course, the Montecito will show it's gratitude – I'll get you all upgraded to suites, comp all meals and expenses you might have here, and naturally, tickets to Brittney's concert."

Jim smiled. "That's a good offer."

"Excuse me, Mr. Deline", Christopher spoke up, "is there anything I can do to help?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact there is. I want you to go up to Brittney Spears' suite and talk to her. She is very upset that Mr. Ryan has died, and I thought she might benefit from someone…more into the spiritual side of things talk to her. Would you do that?"

"Of course."

"And what about me?" Murph asked.

"You…"

Ed's voice trailed off, but Herbert interrupted him:

"You do undercover work, Murph. You should circle the casino, see if you hear or see anything suspicious.

"Oh…okay."

Ed smiled at them.

"Thanks for pitching in, all of you. Let's get started."

6

"You want me to drag HER along?"

Sam's eyes shot little lightning bolts at Danny.

"Ed's orders, Sam. Just tell people she's a casino host in training, working with you."

"Ed knows, I work alone. I can't carry around a child!"

"Um…I'm twenty-one…and I'm standing right here…" Mercedes said, but Sam overheard her.

"If the Obleveks suspect anything, they'll leave! And that will mean I will lose some major whales. I cannot afford to make them suspicious of me!"

"Sam, they're vampires."

"I know they are! I've known for a long time! I can't believe Ed thought I didn't know!"

"What I mean is, they're suspicious by nature. And like I said, this is Ed's orders."

Sam sighed.

"Fine. Come along, and try to keep up."

Mercedes smiled at Danny, who gave her a pat on the shoulder as the two girls walked past him.

"Okay, the first thing to know is never interrupt me", Sam said, as she walked in quick-march between the gaming tables. Mercedes, not used to walking so fast in high heels, nodded as she tried to keep pace.

"Second, always try to give the customer what he wants. And third, think of the bottom line above all else."

"How can a bottom line be above the rest?"

Sam sighed.

"Figure of speech. Now, in the case of the Obleveks, one thing you should not do is be alone with one of them. Always make sure that there are at least two with you at all times – then, you're pretty safe."

"I've dealt with vampires before, Sam!", Mercedes said, feeling put down by the diminutive casino host, "I work in a agency that kicks vampire butt on a weekly basis, okay? My boyfriend can throw a lightning bolt from his fingers that can blow a hole in the casino wall. My family was killed by an evil mage, except for my cousins Juan, Sally, Anita and Gabriella…oh, and uncle Salvatore and that side of the family. So I think I know how to talk to a vampire, OK?"

Sam opened her mouth, but closed it again. She held up her finger, as if to make a point, but then took it down again.

"Touché, Mercedes. I'm sorry. OK? Peace?"

"Peace."

"Then, let's go see if the Obleveks need anything.

"So, how does this thing work, exactly?" Andrew asked, looking at the video IQ systems interface.

"Well", Mike said, pointing to the screen where a man was sitting at a blackjack table, "we get a picture of this guy…then we ask the computer to scan his face…"

On the screen, about 100 green lines crossed the face of the man, measuring all angles.

"…then, we ask the computer to use that scan to lock onto this guy, and follow him around on all the video files we have, giving us basically a backwards tour of his whereabouts in the casino."

"And Mr. Deline wants us to track whoever was on the balcony?"

"Yeah, but the problem is, we don't have any cameras on the balcony, or in the suite. That's not allowed by Nevada state law. So what we need to do is find some other way of getting a video shot of the balcony."

Andrew pointed to the picture on the wall, showing the Strip by night.

"Well, the pyramid on the Luxor across the road is reflective. Could we have a camera zoom in of the reflective surface, and then see what happened in the reflection – on our balcony?"

Mike pushed a few buttons.

"That might just work…"

"I still can't believe you got us into the morgue by calling a friend from school, Danny!"

"I grew up in Vegas. Most of the people here, you either know, or know by a couple of degrees of separation. Marty and I were in biology 101 together."

Kat shook her head. "That sounds like conspiracy theory material. Las Vegas are all in on it together."

Danny pulled out the drawer they had been told contained Tory Ryan's body. They both looked down at the dead man, and Kat used a pencil to lift the gobs of fat under his chin to expose the neck.

"No doubt about it. Vampire bite, but he wasn't sucked dry. I think he was bitten, panicked, and fell over the railing."

"But can we get the vampire for murder, then? I mean, it could have been…I don't know how to say this without sounding incredibly gross, but…it could have been consensual."

"He let himself be bitten, you mean? I don't think so. Look at the edge of the wound – it's torn, like the vampire was pushed away, or lifted the head suddenly. Usually, when a vampire feeds, the victim is in ecstasy and unable to move. Even unWILLING to move. No, this was an attack."

"So, now we wait to hear what Jim learns from the vampires. If all of them have alibis."

"So, where were you around 10 pm?" Jim asked.

The old man stoked his mustache thoughtfully. "I vas at gaming table, da."

"You were gaming?"

"Yes, gaming. Gaming blackjack."

Jim wrote a note in his notebook. The man spoke with a very thick Rumanian accent, and it could sometimes be hard to understand what he was saying.

"And can you account for all your family members?"

"We all gaming, da!"

A young dark-haired woman stepped into the room, and stroked the old mans shoulder.

"Grandfather, you should not let the man tire you out."

"I not tired."

"Good, but you'd better remember to rest. The sun is coming up soon."

The old man smiled at Jim. "Dis my grandson's wife, Elena. She very good to me."

"Mr. Corrigan." Elena reached out her hand, and Jim shook it. Her hand was warm, so Jim thought she was either a living human, or using some sort of trick to appear more alive.

"Is there anything more you want to ask Grandfather, Mr. Corrigan? Otherwise he should retire for the day, and you can talk more tomorrow night."

"It should be all right. We'll talk more later."

The old man got up, nodded in greeting, and left the room.

"It can be quite a experience traveling with a group of Kindred." Elena said, leaning back in the couch.

"You're not one of them?"

"No, I'm alive. I am married to Nicolae, who is kindred, but I have not yet received the embrace."

"It must be strange to be married to…"

"No more strange than the people who marry killers in death row. Well, Mr. Corrigan – would you excuse me?"

"Naturally. I'll come back tomorrow night."

Jim got up, nodded and left. In the door, he met Sam and Mercedes, who he made a point not to look like he recognized.

"So, Mrs. Oblevek" Sam asked, sounding chipper, "is there anything I can do for you today? I see they have all retired…can I set you up in a gaming room, perhaps?"

"No thanks, Sam." Elena lit a cigarette, and sighed deeply. "I feel…exhausted."

"What about a spa treatment, then?" Mercedes asked, and saw Sam smile approvingly at her.

"That sounds…very nice…tell me more…" Elena asked.

"Well, they can rub you with mud and hot stones…and they can put all these lotions on you…and you get a manicure and are totally pampered…" Mercedes said, counting on her fingers.

"That sounds like a good idea. Would you come with me and show me how it's done?" Elena asked.

Mercedes looked at Sam questioningly, but she mouthed "give the customer what she wants!".

"Okay…I guess I could do that…" Mercedes said.

"I'll set it up", Sam said, pulling out her phone.

"It's no good" Jim said, sitting down in front of the desk, "they were all in the casino, and from what I heard from they guy out there in the wheel chair, you have footage of them all in the casino at the time of the murder. They didn't do it."

Ed shook his head. "Something doesn't ring true to me. If you were a vampire, would you throw your prey over the edge and make a scene like that? No, you would either embrace the guy and make him a vampire, or you would only take a nibble and then make him forget. So why kill him like this?"

"Because he managed to break away."

"A few very strong willed people have broken out of an embrace. Tory Ryan was NOT strong willed. He was a chicken shit in a suit. He could not have broken free."

"So…what you are saying is…"

"Whoever bit this guy…was no vampire."

"Wait a minute!" Kat said, just as Danny was pushing the drawer with the dead man inside closed.

She leaned over the body again, this time letting her fingertip trace the wound in the neck.

"There is something here…."

Kat touched something she had at first taken for blood, but as she raised her fingertip she could feel the consistency and it felt wrong for blood.

She sniffed it, and then recognized it. After all, it was a familiar smell – she had the same one in her purse.

"What?", Danny asked.

"This is not blood, Danny. This is lipstick. Max factor Burgundy red, to be precise. And it's around the wound."

"That means…"

"The killer is someone wearing lipstick!"

"If you zoom in here", Andrew said, pointing to a place on the screen, "and enhance…."

Mike pushed a few buttons, and the image was enlarged and enhanced. They could see the black spot that was Tony Ryan's falling body in the reflective glass of the Luxor pyramid.

"We've got it!", Mike said, "now, if we can simply back it up and zoom in…."

The body flew upwards, landed on the balcony and embraced someone in a red dress.

Andrew whistled.

"It's a girl."

Herbert sat in his room, looking into the blue glass ball he had brought home from Greenland. He had not yet learned to control the powers of the glass ball, but he knew that one of the powers it contained was the ability to see into the past.

"Can you show me how Tory Ryan was killed?" he asked the ball, and stared into the glass, where it seemed like a mist was moving about. Nothing happened.

"Show me, WHO killed Tory Ryan" Herbert tried.

This time, the mist seemed to clear for a moment, and he saw an image of a girl taking off her clothes. He recognized the naked back as Mercedes', and the breath caught in his throat. Then, Mercedes moved to the side, and another woman appeared in the background. This woman also had dark hair, but she was clearly older, Caucasian and when she turned her face towards Herbert, looking for all the world like she could see through the ball and right at him, Herbert saw the expression of raw hunger in her eyes.

A chill ran up his spine, and as the image vanished, he seized his cell phone and dialed Jim's number.

"It's Herbert. I know who it is!"

"Please, just relax, Miss Perez. Let the mud work on you, and I will be back in 20 minutes."

The spa girl smiled, and Mercedes smiled back, as she left the room, closing the door behind her. It was nothing to be a casino host, when all you had to do was get a spa treatment. Next to her, Elena sighed deeply.

"This was a good idea, Mercedes."

"Thank you."

"Listen…this might be a little forward to ask, but…I think the girl missed a spot on my back. Would you mind terribly spreading the mud a little?"

"No, of course not, Elena."

Mercedes got up, slowly, and took the two steps between the benches. She reached for Elena's shoulder, when Elena's hand came up and grabbed her around the wrist.

"You are so young and full of life, Mercedes", Elena whispered, and Mercedes felt a cold chill up her back as she saw Elena smile wit a set of white fangs sticking out over her red lips. They had not been there before, she was quite sure of that.

"Take your hand off me…" Mercedes said, but Elena's grip was like steel.

"No…I only got a little last night, but this time I'll prove I'm ready…" Elena whispered.

Mercedes tried to back away, and Elena was pulled off the bench, but gained her balance in an instance. She was about to grip Mercedes around the neck, when Mercedes felt a surge of power rush through her muscles and she pushed Elena back, just as she heard the sound of running feet outside the door.

Elena fell to the floor, her face surprised and angry. She was on her feet instantly, but now, the door was kicked open.

Mike Cannon ran into the room, closely followed by Herbert, Andrew and Jim. Mike quickly stepped up to grab Elena, but Andrew lifted a warning hand.

"Don't get to close. She's no vampire, but she's dangerous anyway!"

"What the hell IS she, anyway?" Mike asked, "she made no blips on our sensors, she has a pulse…what IS she?"

"She's a vampire wannabe" Jim said, "the worst kind!"

Elena bared her fangs and snarled. Herbert lifted a hand, and said a single word. A blue bolt of lightning hit Elena in the chest and threw her to the floor.

Mercedes threw herself into Herbert's arms, and kissed him, and not until he put his arms around her did she remember that she was actually only wearing panties – and mud. She blushed, and quickly reached for the towel.

"Okay, let's take her to the holding cell" Mike said, "and we'd better call Danny and tell him we got her."

"So, did she give a reason for her actions?" Christopher asked, as they relaxed in the large suite, the Montecito had provided them with.

"She was trying to prove herself worthy of becoming a vampire" Andrew said, "apparently, her husband had put off embracing her, and she wanted to become a vampire before she got "too old and ugly", as she said. So she got herself a pair of fake fangs, and tried to impress them by drinking blood."

"Of course, she couldn't drink like a real vampire", Jim continued, "so she simply gnawed at his throat. No wonder the guy took the big dive. It must have hurt like hell."

"What's going to happen to her?" Kat asked.

""Well, Ed has the connections to have her put away somewhere where she will do no damage, but I actually think he's going to hand her over to a prince of one of the other cities nearby."

"Why not just the prince of this city?"

Jim smiled. "Because Las Vegas HAS no prince. I don't exactly know if Ed had something to do with it, but…there must be a reason they call him Big Ed Deline, even though he's only 170 cm tall."

"At least all the Obleveks are gone now" Mercedes said. "Although Sam said she had done it before, I don't think I would want to be a casino host for vampires."

There was a knock on the door, and Danny stepped in, holding a brown envelope.

"Jim, Ed sent me up with this, as a last thank you. He says he know you'll enjoy it."

Jim opened the envelope, and looked inside.

"There's only one ticket to Brittney here, Danny."

"I know. Ed prepared something else for the rest of the team. You'll go alone, Jim. But on the upside, you got a backstage pass in there, too."

"What about the rest of us?" Herbert asked.

"Well, Andrew, Herbert, Murph and Father Christopher, you follow Mike here up to the roof. There's a helicopter standing by to take you on a night flight over the city – something very few get to see. I hope you enjoy it."

"And what about us?" Kat asked.

Danny smiled.

"You two better hurry if you are going to catch "the thunder from down under"! Just tell them at the door that Ed Deline sends his special guests. Then they'll take care of you."

The 2 girls quickly left the room, and as the rest of the team prepared for their night on the town, Jim asked Christopher:

""You never said anything about what you talked to Brittney about."

"That is confidential, Jim. Confessions always are, you know."

"She gave a confession?"

"She did, in a way. I can say this, though – I don't like to call people stupid. But it is safe to say that if Miss Spears had any debts before her rise to fame – I doubt they was study related."

Danny walked behind Kat and Mercedes when they headed for the elevator, and Kat turned around, as they reached the doors.

"What are you doing after the show?"

"I'd planned on going home and catching a few hours of sleep."

Kat slipped a keycard into his hand.

"If you change your mind, here's an open invitation."

7

The sun was already baking overhead, as Andrew came out into the Montecito valet parking lot. Mike, who was standing in the entrance talking to one of the valets, greeted him.

"So, Andrew, it's time to go home, huh?"

"Yeah. You know – places to go, people to help."

"Listen, I'd like to thank you for helping me with the video. It's been a pleasure working with you."

"Likewise."

They shook hands, and Mike asked:

"How are you guys getting back?"

"We're catching a cab to the airport. The others are coming in a minute – they got caught in the checkout counter."

"Let's see if we can't get something a little better."

Mike picked up his cell phone, and when the rest of the Tempus team came out of the hotel lobby, the Limousine that had taken them around town was waiting for them at the foot of the steps.

"Allow the Montecito to provide you with a bit of transportation to the airport", Mike said.

"Authorized by Big Ed himself", Danny said, as he showed up behind them.

"Well, give my regards to Ed, and say that it was fun meeting him again" Jim said.

"I will."

Danny and Mike quickly said their goodbyes, Danny gave Kat a small kiss on the cheek, and shook Jim's hand.

Just as they got into the car, a voice called "Mercedes?"

Mercedes looked out of the car, and saw Sam coming over to the car.

"Can I just have a word, before you leave?"

Mercedes got out, and they walked a couple of steps away from the car.

"Look", Sam said, "I'm not usually someone who…are good at apologizing. But…I let you get into a mud bath with that crazy girl….I feel responsible…"

"It's okay, Sam…Nothing happened."

"No, but it could have. I just wanted to say…I think you did a good job. And if you want to look for a new career one day…you give me a call, okay?"

Mercedes smiled.

"Okay."

Sam gave her a quick hug.

"Now, get out of here, before I completely wreck my image by getting all teary eyed!"

Mercedes crawled into the limo and closed the door. They waved at Danny, Mike and Sam, and then, the long, white car drove out of the valet, heading for the airport.

Mike and Sam walked back in, but Danny stood for a moment, looking after it.

Then he turned around, and walked back into the Montecito.


End file.
